A computer-aided design (CAD) refers to the use of computers to assist in the design of a product. The designer uses the CAD system to create a model of the product that incorporates critical characteristics of the product. These critical characteristics may include the geometric configuration of the product as well as additional properties and attributes of the product.
Most CAD systems have a native data format that is particular to the respective CAD system. Moreover, most CAD systems are largely self-contained in that they only process data residing within the address space of the CAD system. These limitations deter interactive use of external application programs (EAPs) to perform operations relative to the CAD models and other activities on the CAD system.